Apparatus for increasing the range of speed of aeroplanes



March 18, 1924.

P. J. R. POSTEL-VINAY APPARATUS FOR INCREASING THE RANGE OF SPEED OF AEROPLANES Filed Dec. 20, 1918 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 March 18 1924.

P. J. R. POSTEL-VINAY MPARA'IUS FOR INCREASING THE RANGE OF SPEED OF AEROPLANES Filed Dec. 20, 1918 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I 51/872501 3am Jan 7521a 75 24- na/ March is, 1924.

- P. J.- R. POSTEL-VINAY APPARATUS FOR INCREASING THE RANGE OF SPEED OF AEROPLANES Filed Dec. 20, 1918 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Z? rre 225/6!" a. Xf/arn-e/ Patented Mar. 18, 1924.

., stares PIERRE JEAN RENE POSTEL-VINAY, or rams, FRANCE, nssrenon T soomrn pus mornoas SALMSON (svsrnmn CANTON onus, BILLANCOURT, same, FRANCE.

APPARATUS FOR INCREASING THE RANGE OF SPEED OF AEROPLANES.

Application filed December 20, 1918 Serial No. 267,723.

(GRANTED UNDER, THE PROVISIONS OF THE ACT OF MARCH3 1921, 41 STAT. L., 1313.)

Z '0 all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, PIERRE JEAN RENE: POSTEL-VINAY, citizen of the Republic of France, residing at 46 Boulevard de La 5 Tour-Maubourg, Paris, Seine, in the Republic of France, have invented new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Increasing the Range of Speed of Aeroplanes, for which the following applications have been filed:

France, Aug. 11, 1917, Serial No. 93,628; Great Britain, Nov. 4, 1918, Serial No. 18,034; Italy, Oct. 28, 1918, Serial No. 274/2023, and of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object to provide an improved apparatus controllable by the pilot for increasing the range between the minimum and'maximum speeds of an aeroplane in flight.

The improved apparatus comprises essentially cambering flaps hinged to the rear edges of the aeroplane wings, and capable f being moved simultaneously from a position in which they constitute a continuation of the general profile of the wing, into another position wherein they constitute a raised trailing edge for the wing. These flaps are independent of the auxiliary ailerons or balancing planes.

The pilot is thus enabled during flight to flatten the above mentioned flaps to a greater or less extent or wholly, and thereby regulate the speed of the aeroplane for one and the same wind.

In the accompanying drawings that are given by way of example Fig. 1 is a plan view of an aeroplane fitted with this improved apparatus, Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same aeroplane wherein the wings are shown in section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a detail view of the said wings.

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatical view of the controlling mechanism for the flaps.

The wings of the aeroplane which have a beak a and a fixed dorsal surface 6, are provided at their rear part with pivots c on which are hinged cambering flaps d, (2 ,03 (Z These flaps may be utilized between the position 0 c in which they constitute a continuation of the general concave profile of the wing, and the position 0 7 wherein they constitute a raised edge for the wing.

The flaps are connected to each other and to a common control situated within the 5 reach of the pilot, which allows of varying the angle enclosed between thenr and the wing.

As shown in Fig. 4, the controlling mechanism may comprise an operating handwheel 71 keyed on a shaft j which drives through worm gear in a barrel or elongated druml journalled in the frame 0. Four cables m M and p P are tightly wound as shown around said barrel so as to afford a frictional grip. The cable m has its lower end connected to the upper face of the lower flap (1 and its 'upper end connected to the lower face of the upper flap (P. The cable M is likewise connected to the upper face 7 of the flap d and the lower face of the flap, 1 The cable ;0 is connected to the lower face of the flap d and the upper face of the flap d and the cable P is connected to the lower face of the flap d and the upper face 75 of the flap (2 The cables are suitably guided over pulleys such as 1'.

It will be seen that by rotating the handwheel 71 so as to rotate the barrel Z in the direction shown by the arrow, all the flaps will be simultaneously raised and they will be lowered if the handwheel is rotated in the opposite direction.

The ailerons or balancing flaps 9 (Fig. 1) are of the usual construction. The motion 5 of one of these flaps is always op ositeto the motion of the other flap, an is con trollable by the pilot by known means. The cambering flaps (2, d d 03 being entirely independent of the ailerons they may be an ranged without difiiculty on existing aeroplanes and as they have a comparatively reduced area they may be operated easily without requiring too great a force from the pilot. 5 Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to-secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An aeroplane comprising in combination: rigid wings, rigid ailerons or balancing fiaps hinged by their respective forward edges to the outer portions of the rear edges of the wings, respectively andrigid cambering flaps independent of said ailerons hinged by their forward edges to the rear edges of said wings inside the ailerons and capable of being moved from a position in which they constitute a continuation of the general profile of the Wing into another position wherein they constitute a raised trailing edge for the wing, means controlled by the pilot for oscillating the ailerons in reverse directions, and means controlled by the pilot and acting simultaneously upon said rigid cambering flaps alone to cause them to oscillate in the same direction, substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.

2; An aeroplane comprising in combination: rigid Wings, rigid ailerons or balancing flaps hinged by their respective forward edges to the outer poirtionsof the rear edges of the wings respectively and rigid cambering flaps independent of said ailerons hinged by their forward edges to the rear edges of said wings inside the ailerons and capable of being moved from a position in which they constitute a continuation of the general profile of the wing into another position wherein they constitute a raised trailing edge for the wing, said cambering flaps being of reduced width with regardto that of the wings, means controlled by the pilot for oscillating the ailerons in reverse directions, and means controlled by. the pilot and acting simultaneously upon said rigid calnbering flaps alone to cause them to oscillate in the same direction, substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to'this specification.

z PIERRE JEAN RENE POSTEL-VINAY. 

